


In the Dark of the Night

by endless_eight



Series: The NEW Adventures of Sinbad Fan-Fiction Season 2 [5]
Category: The Adventures of Sinbad (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2000-09-25
Updated: 2000-09-25
Packaged: 2019-03-15 22:44:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13623069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endless_eight/pseuds/endless_eight
Summary: By Merlin and CalvinRongar and Mustapha must relive their painful past to put to rest an old enemy.





	In the Dark of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Merlin and Calvin, the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The New Adventures of Sinbad Fan Fiction Season 2](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_New_Adventures_of_Sinbad_Fan_Fiction_Season_2) and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The New Adventures of Sinbad Fan Fiction Season 2’s collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/thenewadventuresofsinbad/profile).

 

* * *

**EPISODE 05 – IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT**  
  
WRITTEN BY – MERLIN, CALVIN  
EDITED BY – LILLIAN, IDNAR

* * *

**TEASER**

The crew travel to Rongar and Mustapha's hometown,

_"Seize them all!" Sashard ordered._

and they are forced to come face to face with their past.

_Mustapha nodded slowly. "He was the one who cut out Rongar's tongue."_

And in order to defeat the enemy from their pasts, Rongar and Mustapha have to put their friends lives in danger.

_"I think we should just leave now while we still have our lives!" Doubar explained._

_"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to find Maeve!" Sinbad declared._

Will Rongar and Mustapha succeed?

_"What did you expect?" Mustapha asked._

or die trying?

_Sashard shrugged his shoulders. "Then so be it."_

Find out in "In the Dark of the Night" coming up next...

* * *

 

"Tell me!" Sashard demanded as he grabbed the young boy by his shirt collar.

Rongar spit in his face. "Never!" he screamed.

Sashard slapped the young boy harshly across his face. Rongar didn't even wince. Mustapha's eyes filled with tears as he witnessed his friend's courage. Both boys were chained to the wall in Sashard's dungeon. The foul stench of the dead was almost overwhelming, and the dungeon was dark and gloomy.

A small brick fireplace burned along one wall, not even providing enough heat to warm the small dungeon. It barely even provided the boys with enough light to see each other from across the room. A few torches blazed dimly along the brick walls, providing the cold, barren room with a minuscule amount of illumination. Evil torture devices were scattered along the floor, while others were carelessly placed on jagged wooden tables near the entrance.

"All right then." Sashard said calmly. "I had hoped that it wouldn't have to come to this."

He picked up a thick stick that he had left igniting in the fire. "Tell me where it is or I'll kill your friend!"

Rongar struggled to look at Mustapha through teary eyes. Mustapha bravely shook his head slowly. He mouthed the words, 'don't tell'. Rongar sadly nodded understandably and turned his head.

Sashard shrugged his shoulders. "Then so be it."

He ripped Mustapha's shirt open to reveal his numerous scars from the past few days. He then raised the flaming stick high above his head and smashed it down on the young boy's chest. Mustapha screamed in agony as his felt his flesh burn.

Rongar turned to face Sashard. The man was laughing evilly as he watched Mustapha's face writhe in pain. Rongar face hardened. How could he be laughing at this? Rongar struggled intensely with the rusted chains that bound his wrists and ankles.

Sashard pulled away from Mustapha, almost reluctantly. He walked over to Rongar leaving the boy's motionless form behind him. He grabbed Rongar by the collar of his shirt. "Tell me where it is or I'll kill you too!" he threatened.

"I would rather die than tell you." he said through clenched teeth.

Sashard motioned for his guards to come. Two burly men walked over to their leader and held Rongar tightly, so he was unable to move. Sashard pulled a rusty dagger out from his belt and grabbed Rongar brutally by his throat.

"If you don't tell me, then you will never tell anyone anything, ever again."

Rongar stood stolid, even though he was more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. Sashard pried open Rongar's mouth and began to slice through his tongue. Rongar began to scream from the pain and struggled as hard as he could, but it was of no avail. Sashard smiled as he sawed off the rest of the young boy's tongue with his dagger.

Rongar screamed as hard as he could, trying to ease the intense pain. He felt as if he was dying, and he could barely breathe, due to the amount of blood that was seeping down his throat. Sashard smiled evilly and threw the now useless tongue to the floor. Rongar closed his eyes, knowing that this might be the last he would ever see of this world.

~~~

"Rongar, you have to keep this a secret!" Belode explained as he handed his brother the map. "If anyone was to find out, it could mean trouble."

Rongar nodded, as he tried to blink back tears. "I understand." he whispered, his voice trembling slightly.

Belode grabbed his broadsword and hugged his youngest brother quickly. "Be brave, and take care of Mother."

"Come on, Belode!" Darchan called.

Rongar regrettably waved to his brothers, and he knew this would be the last that he would see of them. Rongar's mother hurried over to her eight year old son as she sadly watched her other remaining sons leave for battle.

She hugged Rongar over and over, tears spilling down her cheeks, knowing that he too, would soon leave to help their people. An evil warlord, Sashard, had taken over their country, and was killing all of the people for their family's secret. Her two eldest sons, Hathard and Ronken, and her husband, Oris, had already died in the fight. She knew it was only a matter of time before she lost her last three sons too.

~~~

"Rongar, wake up!" a voice called, colored with worry.

Rongar slowly opened his eyes and looked up at his friend. Mustapha was standing over him, begging him to wake up. Once he saw that his friend was still alive, he rejoiced. Rongar opened his mouth to talk, but found the intense pain unbearable, so he motioned with his hands to Mustapha.

Mustapha hugged him tightly. "Thank Allah you're still alive. I thought you were gone for sure."

Rongar looked at his friend's bloody shirt. Mustapha nodded. "I'm all right. They thought that we were going to die soon, so they threw us out here to pass away in the woods. We'd better get going, before someone comes out and sees us."

Rongar nodded and slowly rose to his feet. His whole body felt as if it were broken, and he knew that Mustapha felt the same way that he did. Both boys hobbled off further into the woods, trying as hard as they could to stay on their feet.

~~~

Rongar shot up out of bed, sweat dripping down his face. He struggled to slow his breathing to its normal rate. He soon realized that he was aboard the Nomad, and he heard low voices in the galley. He shook his head sadly, this was the third night in a row that he had had the same dream. It was more like a nightmare.

Rongar slowly got out of his bed and put on his brown leather vest. He then slowly entered the galley. Mustapha sat at the end of the long wooden table, his plate filled with different flavored muffins. Firouz sat next to him, along one side of the table, with a crew member named Hameed beside him. Mustapha reached across the table and took the last blueberry muffin off of the plate in the middle of the table.

"What do you think you're doing?" Firouz demanded.

"What?" Mustapha asked innocently as he filled his mouth with the sweet pastry.

"You have a whole plateful of muffins! That was the last one, and I'm still hungry!" Firouz explained, trying to stay calm.

"Well what do I look like, a mind reader?" Mustapha countered.

Firouz sighed heavily and retreated to his cabin, to work on one of his inventions. Rongar shook his head at the two's childish antics. He didn't understand why they were always at each others throats. Mustapha nodded his welcome, for the muffin was still in his mouth.

Rongar motioned towards the empty plate, in which there was supposed to be enough for the entire crew. Mustapha handed him a muffin off his plate, and Rongar accepted it graciously.

"Land ho!" a voice yelled from updeck.

Maeve walked sleepily out of her cabin. She plopped down at the table next to Mustapha and laid her head down on top of her arms.

"What happened to you?" Mustapha asked.

"Why should I tell you?" she snapped.

Sinbad came below deck, smiling, and looked at his crew mates with a look that said, 'Let's go guys!'

Maeve sighed. "I just woke up, I haven't eaten yet!"

"It doesn't matter, there's no food left anyway." Firouz huffed, as he shot a look at Mustapha.

Sinbad smiled, he was in a great mood, as usual. "We'll get more in the town, come on, we don't want to be late!"

Mustapha took the last muffin off his plate and handed it to the sorceress. She smiled and headed back into her cabin to fix herself up to leave the Nomad. Firouz huffed once more and hurried updeck. Sinbad shook his head.

"Will you guys give it a rest?" he pleaded.

"What, we're not doing anything, Captain." Mustapha said innocently.

Sinbad rolled his eyes and headed updeck, Mustapha and Rongar right behind him. The cool, refreshing breeze felt wonderful against Rongar's skin. He looked over to his friend and shook his head sadly. Mustapha squeezed his shoulder.

"Did you have that dream again last night?" he whispered.

Rongar nodded sadly. Mustapha gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder before heading over to the side of the Nomad to help Doubar and Sinbad with the longboats. After about five minutes, the crew found themselves rowing slowly towards the shore. The calm, gentle waves lapped softly against the wooden longboat as Doubar and Rongar rowed them towards the beach.

Once on the shore, they all climbed out of the boat, leaving Sinbad and Doubar to drag it out of the calm water. Everyone took a piece of the cargo, and together they all made their way inland to the run-down kingdom of Gaul.

Sinbad looked at the tiny package in Maeve's arms and smiled. "You know, you could have taken a larger one."

"Yes, I could have, but I have to carry Dermott." she said innocently.

Sinbad smiled at her and shook his head.

"Why doesn't Maeve have to carry anything?" Mustapha asked Rongar with a smile.

Rongar shrugged, not paying attention to anything that his friend was saying. He was sure that he had seen this place before, but he wasn't certain when. As the crew entered the kingdom, they looked around at all of the terrible scenery. The town was run-down, full of decaying houses and dusty streets. A few people had poor little shops set up, but their merchandise was less than appealing.

Sinbad and Doubar went to find the merchant who was to buy their cargo, Maeve went to browse the shops, and Firouz went to get something to eat. Mustapha and Rongar aimlessly walked around the town together, both recognizing this kingdom.

They watched as a dark man on a white stallion rode in town from the nearby castle. He stopped near the two men. Mustapha and Rongar stared at him, both instantly recognizing this man as Sashard, the man that had caused them immense pain as children. "This cannot be! I ordered them dead!" the man said under his breath, immediately recognizing the pair.

Rongar swung around and started running through the town. He knew that his dreams had been telling him something. Mustapha immediately followed suit, racing after his friend. Sashard forced his stallion to give chase, and he took off after them. Mustapha turned to see how far back their enemy was, which was just enough time for Sashard to snap his whip around the young man's legs.

Mustapha tumbled to the ground. "Rongar!" he yelled to his friend.

Rongar couldn't leave his friend, so he bolted over to Sashard and knocked him off of his horse. Sashard yelled for his guards and Rongar punched him squarely in the jaw. Two burly guards came up behind the two fighting men, trying to pull Rongar off their leader.

Maeve was browsing through the small shops when she heard a loud commotion. She hurried over to where Rongar and Sashard were fighting. "Sinbad!" she called loudly before hurrying over to where her two friends were.

Sinbad, Doubar, and Firouz heard Maeve's call, so they rushed over to help. A large array of guards came over to defend their leader. The crew unsheathed their swords and attacked. As Sinbad blocked his enemy's attack against him, he saw a guard knock Rongar out from behind.

"No!" Sinbad yelled as he hurried over to his fallen friend.

"Seize them all!" Sashard ordered.

The guards grabbed the crew and dragged them through the town and into the dungeon of the castle. Mustapha winced as he recalled every detail from this room. The guards went through the dungeon and into a smaller room off the side. They shoved the crew into one large cell and locked the heavy metal door after them.

Firouz knelt down beside Rongar and examined him. "He'll be all right." he said simply.

"Mustapha, what's going on here?" Maeve demanded as she saw her friend cowering in the corner of the cell. "Why did that man attack you?"

Sinbad sat down beside Mustapha and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "What's going on here, do you know anything about it?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." he said quietly.

"Well, we'd all kind of like to know why we're in this dungeon!" Doubar chimed in.

Sinbad shot a look at Doubar. "Maybe later then." he said to Mustapha. He stood up and walked over to Maeve. Think you can get us out of here?"

She nodded. "I'm sure there's something in the book..." she trailed off as a look of horror crossed her face.

"What is it?" Sinbad asked worriedly.

"I must of dropped the book!" she gasped.

"You lost the Book of Darkness and Light!?" Doubar exclaimed. "Now anyone could use it's power!"

Maeve sank to the floor of the cell and put her head in her hands. Sinbad looked at Doubar. "Just don't talk anymore, okay?" he said agitatedly, after Doubar had upset two of his friends already.

He sat down next to Maeve. "It's all right. We'll get it once we get out of here."

Maeve looked at him. "No, it's not all right! Dim-Dim, Cairpra, and Yin all trusted me with the book! I've let them down! Now that man that put us in here can get it!"

Sinbad put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. That's not going to bring it here. First, we have to find a way out of here, and then we'll worry about the book."

"We have to get out of here fast then." Mustapha said. "Sashard is a very evil man, there's no telling what he could do if he gets his hands on that book."

Maeve looked over to Mustapha. "Does he study magic?"

Mustapha stood up and walked over to the door. He rested his arms over the rusted metal bars and looked out into the dungeon. It was relatively small and dark, the only light coming from a few dying torches. The floor was covered with dried blood stains and there were only about two other cells across the room.

"I don't know, but knowing him, anything's possible." Mustapha said, almost in a whisper.

"Rongar, help me!" Mustapha cried as a whip cracked on his back.

"Mustapha!" Rongar screamed as he watched his friend being beaten from his place in the cell.

"Rongar!"

Mustapha blinked back the tears as he recalled memories from his painful childhood. He looked away from the cell that Rongar and himself had stayed in a long time ago. Sinbad shot Doubar a worried look and then knelt down beside Rongar. He began to stir and Mustapha and Firouz both jumped to see him at the same time. Mustapha pushed him out of the way and knelt down beside his longtime friend.

Rongar opened his eyes and examined his surroundings. Even though it was almost twenty years since he had last laid his eyes upon the dungeon, he knew it like the back of his hand. As he turned his head, he saw a rotting corpse in the corner and shivered and closed his eyes again. He could not bear to think about the horrors that awaited his friends and him, so he tried to block the memories out, which proved to be impossible.

"Rongar, my friend," Mustapha said, "Are you all right?" Rongar nodded to his friend, looking him straight in the eyes. He saw the pain written all over his face, and he knew that this wasn't another nightmare.

"I'm getting a little impatient!" Doubar said with annoyance in his voice. He looked around at all of his friends and realized how he must have sounded. "I'm sorry, I just..."

"It's all right Doubar, we're all a little tired right now." Sinbad tried to lift the tension in the cell, "I think that we should rest awhile, just until we can think of a way out of here."

Sinbad walked back over to Maeve, who was sitting in a corner, holding her knees close to her chest. He sat down next to her, trying to remove the guilt that she was feeling. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked softly.

Maeve looked away from him, not wanting him to see her this upset.

Sinbad sensed her feelings and decided to change the subject. "Where's Dermott, Maeve?" he asked her quietly.

"He's on the ship."

"Oh..."

"Sinbad, stop trying to make me feel better, it's not going to work. Nothing can help. It was me who dropped the book, and it is me who gets the blame." Maeve leaned her head against the wall and let a tear roll down her cheek. "I'm sorry!" she said as she wiped the tear away, "I'm sorry!"

She then stood up and walked to the window, feeling embarrassed, and not wanting her captain to see. Sinbad smiled at the red haired sorceress. She tried so hard to hide her feelings, but she just couldn't hold them back sometimes.

~~~

"Mother, everything is going to be all right," Rongar said as he tried to calm down his mother.

"But Belode is dead!" she cried as she tore up the small piece of parchment in her hand, "My family is falling apart before my very eyes!"

"You still have me, and Darchan, and someone else is on the way." Rongar whispered.

"You're so good to me Rongar, you don't deserve to listen to my sorrows." she sobbed.

Rongar slowly walked over to his mother and kissed her on the cheek, "They're my sorrows too mother."

She then started crying again as she engulfed her son into a giant hug, "How right you are Rongar, how right you are."

~~~

Rongar abruptly sat up, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. He didn't choose to remember his awful past, but for some strange reason, the nightmares kept coming. He remembered the day that they got news that his older brother Belode had died in battle, and how he had to be strong for his mother.

Mustapha walked over to Rongar and his look said it all. Rongar knew that he was reliving his childhood too, but had no way to comfort him. He cursed himself for letting Sashard have the upper hand, for he could have easily taken him on if he were only a bit stronger all those years ago. If he only had his tongue now, he could tell his friend that everything was going to be all right, just as he did his mother in her time of need. Mustapha sat next to his best friend, and Rongar put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Rongar and Mustapha turned as they heard the low creaking of the dungeon door. Rongar squinted through the darkness and stood up to face whomever came near their cell. A pair of guards entered the dungeon and faced the Moor. Rongar could see their heartless faces through the dim flickering of the dying torches adorning the walls.

"Which one does he want?" a gruff voice asked.

"The Moor," the other guard muttered.

Sinbad suddenly jumped up and faced the two guards. "Excuse me, but what exactly are we in here for?" he asked, seizing the opportunity to ask the guards of his crew's present condition.

"Move out of the way, sailor, it's not you he wants," one of the guard's answered.

"Who's 'he'?" Sinbad asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sashard," the guard said simply. "Now give us the Moor, and no one gets hurt."

"Except Rongar!" Mustapha jumped up and stood in front of his friend, so as to protect him. "Sinbad, don't let them take him!"

Rongar pushed aside the small man and stood directly in front of the cell's door. The two guards grabbed him and harshly pulled him out of the cell. They then slammed the metal door shut again before leading Rongar out of the dungeon. Mustapha winced as he heard the large, heavy dungeon door close.

"How could you let them take him?" Mustapha demanded to his captain.

"Mustapha, tell us what is going on here. Please!" Sinbad beseeched.

By now, Doubar, Maeve, and Firouz were all awake. They were all sitting up on the cold, damp floor, looking up at the altercation between their two friends.

"I can't!" Mustapha cried, slumping down to the floor of the dark cell.

"Why not?" Maeve asked.

"Because it's too painful," Mustapha whispered.

_"Mother! Mother, what happened to you?" Mustapha screamed as he saw his beloved mother lying on the ground, a bloody dagger protruding from her stomach. "Mother, nooooo!"_

Sinbad sat down next to his friend and grasped Mustapha's trembling shoulder. "We won't make you tell us. We just want to have some idea of what we're up against."

Mustapha regained his composure and nodded. "All right. You want to see what Sashard has done to me? I'll show you."

Mustapha lifted up his shirt to show his friends his scars. The crew gasped as they looked upon Mustapha's beaten body. Deep, swollen whip scars adorned his chest and back. Huge gashes covered his body, obviously inflicted from a knife. One sickening burn mark made its way along his chest. The skin had been charred where he had been burned, and the scars were not going away any time soon.

"Those are only my physical scars." Mustapha said quietly.

"Did Sashard do this to you?" Maeve gasped.

He nodded slowly. "He was the one who cut out Rongar's tongue. He is a very superstitious man. One day, he went to an oracle to see what his future held."

"An oracle?" Doubar asked.

"An oracle is a magical being who can see into the future." Maeve explained.

Mustapha went on, "Yes, Sashard went to see an oracle, and he was told of a prophecy. The prophecy stated that he would one day loose his life and throne to a Moor family that contained a hidden secret. The oracle said that he could find the family by the markings on the children's arms."

"Rongar's tattoo?" Doubar guessed.

"Yes, that's right. Most families around here tattoo their children with their family's emblem. He was given a symbol and went out in search of the family that would destroy him. While all of this was happening, a war was going on between his followers and us villagers. All of Rongar's brothers and his father had gone off to fight. One day, Sashard found Rongar and I in the woods. He recognized the mark on Rongar's arm and he captured us. He locked us up in his dungeon and interrogated us." Mustapha explained.

"Interrogated?" Firouz asked. "You mean tortured."

"Yes, but Sashard calls it 'interrogation'. We were beaten, threatened, and bribed. Sashard wanted Rongar's family secret so badly, that he didn't stop at anything. After about a month, Rongar and I still refused to tell, so Sashard cut out Rongar's tongue. He did it so as not to go back on the promise he made to his brothers, not to tell the secret."

"You are both very strong," Maeve observed.

"Mustapha, can the prophecy still come true?" Sinbad asked.

"Yes, but only Rongar and I know of it." Mustapha said.

"What is it?" Doubar asked.

"I can't even tell you guys. It's too dangerous." he said.

"So why did Rongar get taken?" Maeve asked, "he can't tell them anything now."

"Sashard probably just wanted to make sure that it was him. After all, we're supposed to be dead," Mustapha said.

"I have a plan." Sinbad said. "As soon as Rongar gets back, you two get out of here, get the secret, and come back."

"How?" Mustapha asked. "How will we get out of here?"

"Hmmm. We'll have to improvise." Sinbad said.

"How about the Book of Darkness and Light?" Doubar asked. "I'm sure that Sashard has it in his possession by now."

All three men looked at Maeve. "What?" she asked hesitantly.

"Why don't you ask to see Sashard and find a spell in the book when he's not looking?" Doubar suggested.

"Like the guards will just let me leave to see their leader," Maeve said sarcastically.

"Why wouldn't they? Just promise them a turn after your finished with Sashard," Mustapha joked.

"Shut up, you guys, I'm not even going to think about doing that." Maeve said through clenched her teeth.

Sinbad and Doubar started laughing. Suddenly, the door to the dungeon creaked open and the two guards brought Rongar back. They flung open the door to the cell and threw the Moor in. After Rongar sat up, a tall, dark man entered the dungeon.

"I am Sashard." he announced himself.

Mustapha put his arm around Rongar. Sinbad stood up to face Sashard.

"I demand that you release myself and my crew!" he demanded.

Sashard laughed. "Now why would I want to do that?"

"Because we have a very intriguing offer," Sinbad said.

"And what would this offer be?" he tried to hold back his strong desire to find out what the captain was hiding.

"I'm sure that you have already found the 'Book of Darkness and Light'."

"I have."

"But you probably have no idea of how to perform the spells in it."

"What makes you think that?"

"The look in your eyes."

"What do my eyes tell you?" Sashard said dryly.

"Your eyes tell me that you have the desire to become a powerful magician, but have no training whatsoever."

"Bravo, did you figure that out all by yourself?" Sashard taunted.

Sinbad ignored the taunt and went on to tell him of his offer, "I propose that you take this skilled sorceress for the night, she will teach you some valuable knowledge."

Maeve glared at Sinbad and said under her breath, "Your going to pay for this, sailor!"

Sashard raised an eyebrow. "Why are you doing this?" he asked hesitantly.

Sinbad looked at Maeve, searching for an excuse. She didn't even look at him. He took a second to think and then answered. "Because if she helps you, then maybe you'll let us go." he explained.

Sashard nodded. "Guards, take her to my chambers!"

Two guards walked up to Maeve and grabbed one arm each. They then pulled her rather roughly out of the dungeon to Sashard's quarters.

Before she was out of the dungeon, she yelled to Sinbad, "You'll feel my wrath seadog!" in her best Rumina imitation.

Sinbad chuckled a little once the dungeon was quiet again, but turned around to find Doubar, Firouz, Rongar, and Mustapha staring at him, jaws dropped.

"What?" Sinbad asked innocently.

"Sinbad, do you realize the predicament you just got Maeve into?" Firouz asked, "Who knows what that beast will do to her?"

Doubar started chuckling. "She's gonna kill you, Sinbad!"

Firouz and Sinbad started laughing too.

"She's a big girl, she can take care of herself!" Doubar admitted.

Sinbad smiled and then turned his attention to the astonished look on Rongar's face. "Don't worry, good friend, she's just distracting Sashard so you and Mustapha can escape."

Rongar nodded. Mustapha asked, "What did they do to you Rongar?" Rongar pointed to the tattoo on his upper arm. Mustapha nodded. "They just wanted to make sure it was you." Rongar nodded again.

"Mustapha told us." Doubar said. "You two have to escape to get whatever can defeat Sashard with."

Mustapha walked over to Sinbad with a pained look in his eye, "I don't feel right to do this, Sashard is probably going to take it out on you when he finds out that we're missing. I should be the one to stay!"

"No Mustapha, you have to go with Rongar," Sinbad said, his eyes filling with tears, "We'll be fine."

Sinbad tried not to reveal his sadness to Mustapha, he didn't want him to feel guilty for leaving them in the dungeon. Rongar walked over to the lock of the cell and revealed a dirk that was concealed under his sash. After a few minutes, the door swung open and Rongar and Mustapha disappeared into the darkness after saying their farewells.

"So, you're the owner of this... book, what was the name again?" Sashard played.

"You know very well what the name of the book is," Maeve taunted.

Sashard sat down on the sofa and patted the seat next to him, "If you want your book back, you're going to have to show me some magic!"

Maeve grimaced at the thought that entered her mind and held her ground.

"Come on, I'm not going to bite!" he seduced.

"It's not the biting I'm worried about!" Maeve said, crossing her arms across her chest. "And don't expect me to teach you any magic!"

"I just don't get some women! You have the chance to stay in the king's quarters for the night, but you would rather sleep in a dungeon!"

Maeve smiled. "Gee, you're quick!"

~~~

Sinbad sat down on the ground next to Doubar.

"Why couldn't we leave with them, Sinbad?" Doubar asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Firouz got up and sat down next to Sinbad. "Well, we want to defeat Sashard, once and for all, right? Well if only two of us are gone, he'll figure that they'll eventually return to free us."

Doubar frowned. "I still don't know why we have to stay here."

"Maeve is in Sashard quarters. Because of me." Sinbad admitted, finally realizing his mistake.

Suddenly, the cell door opened and Maeve was thrown in. The guards slammed the door and left, not even noticing the two missing crew members.

Maeve stood up and dusted her dress off. Sinbad jumped up and went over to her. "Maeve!" he exclaimed. "You-"

Sinbad didn't have a chance to finish his sentence, because of Maeve's fist. Doubar and Firouz laughed as they watched Sinbad fall to the floor, knocked out cold.

Maeve huffed and sat near the door of the cell.

Doubar and Firouz walked over to Sinbad who was lying on the floor, "Sinbad, Sinbad wake up!"

"He'll be fine Doubar," Firouz said after examining Sinbad, "But he'll have one sore eye when he wakes up!"

~~~

"Rongar, how much further is it?" Mustapha asked trying to catch up.

The two men had been walking for hours through the dark forest just outside of Gaul. There was a narrow path leading through the forest, but they tried to keep off of it so they wouldn't be spotted. They didn't need the path though, for they had traveled and played in the woods many times when they were younger.

"Mustapha, look out!" Rongar teased as he threw some pebbles onto his friend from his hiding spot high in a tree.

"That's not fair!" Mustapha huffed, "You're not supposed to hit a man while he's down!"

"But you weren't down!"

"Yes I was, didn't you see how I was going down to tie my sandals!"

Rongar laughed at his friend, he was always making up excuses whenever things didn't go his way. Even though he could clearly see that his sandals were already tied.

Rongar smiled at the memory. After Sashard had conquered Gaul, Rongar never had a chance to play with Mustapha. His older brothers all went off to fight against Sashard's army, along with his father and many of the townspeople. They all fought as hard as they could, but they never did reclaim their homeland.

Mustapha hurried to catch up with Rongar. Rongar suddenly stopped and sat down on the ground. Mustapha stopped and kneeled beside his friend.

"What is it?" he asked as he put a reassuring hand on Rongar's shoulder.

Rongar looked at their surroundings. The sky was pitch black, without even a single star to light the dark forest. The trees all swayed from side to side as the harsh breeze sailed through them. Rongar looked up at his friend. He thought that this was hopeless. There was no way that they could defeat Sashard. His older brothers, all of whom he had respected and loved unconditionally had failed.

Rongar thought about his oldest brother, Hathard. He was always taking charge of everyone in his family. He had a fire in his eyes, and he never let injustice win over fairness. He was only 18 when he left to fight. Hathard had been the first to leave, along with his father. Rongar remembered the way his oldest brother used to play with him. He built him a tree house when Rongar was a toddler and he always took care of him.

His second eldest brother was named Ronken. He was a tender, generous young man. Ronken was engaged to marry a woman named Lilia, whom he had met when he was a little boy. The day that Rongar's family had found out about his father's death, Ronken left to join to fight with a few of his friends.

"I have to do this Lilia." Ronken explained to his fiancee, Lilia.

Lilia hugged him tightly. Rongar watched from his tree house that his brother Hathard had built him. Ronken and Lilia both had tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Come on, Ronken, we have to go!" a man called.

"I'm coming!" Ronken called back. "I'll be back as soon as I can." he whispered to Lilia.

They kissed each other gently and then Ronken ran off to catch up with his friends. Rongar watched as Lilia sank to the ground. Her creamy brown cheeks were stained with tears. Rongar climbed down from his tree house and walked slowly up to her.

"Lilia?" he asked.

She looked at Rongar and then took off into the fields. He could hear her sobs, and it pained him to see her this way. She was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. Rongar watched as her figure disappeared into the fields.

That was the last that he ever saw of her.

"Rongar?" Mustapha asked. "Rongar!" he said a little bit louder.

Rongar shook his head, still in disbelief of their predicament.

"Rongar, come on! We have to get back to everyone before they get hurt!" he exclaimed.

The moor nodded and together they ran through the dark forest.

~~~

Sinbad finally regained consciousness about an hour after Maeve had punched him. He opened up his eyes but could barely see, for there was only one dim torch lit on the far side of the dungeon near the steps.

"I think he's coming back!" Firouz exclaimed when he heard some rustling from Sinbad's direction.

"What happened?" Sinbad asked, rubbing his eye where Maeve had hit him.

"You fell on my fist," Maeve smiled.

Sinbad had a bruise on his eye and he could barely open it. Maeve looked over in his direction to see what damage she had inflicted on him.

"Oh Sinbad! I'm so sorry!," she cried, "Wait a second, no I'm not! You deserved that black eye and a lot more!"

"Gee Maeve, thanks for showing a little concern!" Sinbad whimpered.

"Oh, Sinbad! That's really going to hurt, especially since I can't do anything for it!" Firouz examined.

"That makes me feel good!" Sinbad cried.

"Well if you hadn't volunteered me for that little job, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt!" Maeve yelled.

"Okay, can we get off the subject of my eye?" Sinbad pleaded, "Why don't we try to figure out a way to get out of here?"

"Don't you remember? We can't leave until Rongar and Mustapha come back." Doubar said.

"Oh, yeah," Sinbad said sheepishly.

"I suggest that we get some rest." Firouz said.

"Good suggestion!" Doubar replied.

Doubar leaned up against the wall and fell asleep within a few short minutes. He snored really loud, but everyone was used to it. Firouz laid down on the floor, trying to use Doubar's outstretched leg as a pillow, and tossed and turned until he was comfortable.

Sinbad stood up and looked out the window of the cell. Maeve walked over to him, and with the light from the moon she saw how bad his eye really looked. "Sinbad, I'm sorry that I hit you," she apologized, "But you did deserve it."

"It's all right, Maeve." Sinbad said, but winced at the same time.

Maeve smiled and sat down next to him. "Can I see it?" she asked.

Sinbad nodded. Maeve reached out gently and touched the black and blue part of Sinbad's eye. He winced but allowed her to touch it. His sore eye actually seemed to feel better when she was there.

"I'm really sorry, Sinbad." Maeve apologized. "I just can't control my temper sometimes."

Sinbad smiled and nodded. He knew that better than anyone else.

"So where have Rongar and Mustapha made off to?" she asked.

"Remember when Mustapha told us the story of when they were younger?"

Maeve nodded.

"Well, they went off to fulfill the prophecy." he whispered. "They should be back soon."

Sinbad and Maeve sat down underneath the window together without even realizing how close they were. "We'd better get some sleep," Maeve said as she turned her head to find Sinbad only a few inches away.

"Yeah..." Sinbad said, feeling embarrassed.

Sinbad leaned up against the wall and stretched out his legs and crossed them. He closed his eyes to try to go to sleep, but found that he was unable to. He opened up his eyes and caught Maeve turning her head away quickly.

"Maeve?" he started.

"Yes," she said.

"What's Dermott doing?"

"He's on the ship," she answered, "but he'll go looking for Rongar and Mustapha in the morning, just to make sure that nothing happened to them."

"Oh..." he said.

"Sinbad?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you worried about them?"

"Who?"

"Mustapha and Rongar."

"Yes and no," Sinbad said, "I mean, they are out there all alone at night, but they are grown men, and they do know this land pretty well."

"Yeah," she replied, "Well, I guess we should try to go to sleep." Maeve scooted away from Sinbad so they were a few feet away.

"Yeah..." Sinbad returned to his position against the wall, but heard Maeve sigh. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm just a little cold," she said.

"Come here." Sinbad invited.

Maeve scooted back over next to her captain. He put his arm across her shoulders and she leaned her head against his warm chest. Maeve smiled to herself. Sinbad looked over to Doubar and Firouz, and then down at Maeve, and hoped that everything would work itself out by the next day.

~~~

"Let me go!" Doubar growled.

Sinbad's eyes shot open. It was already morning, a dim light shown through a tiny barred window high above his head. He sat up abruptly and saw about five guards trying to drag Firouz, Doubar, and Maeve out of the cell. Doubar punched one of them squarely on the jaw. They fell back and another one of them hit him brutally on the back of his head with the hilt of their sword. Doubar fell noisily to the dirty floor.

"Doubar!" Sinbad cried as he tried to run over to him.

A guard pushed him back and locked the door before he could get out. Sinbad watched his brother being dragged out of the dungeon. Firouz and Maeve were having their hands tied by the guards. Sinbad watched as they struggled helplessly. Maeve kicked one of the guards harshly on their leg, only to be struck on her cheek by the guard's hand.

"Maeve!" Sinbad yelled.

The guards dragged his bound comrades out of the dungeon, leaving Sinbad alone in the dank, dark cell. Sinbad walked to the back of the cell and then charged against the door. It didn't even budge. Sinbad drew back and rubbed his throbbing shoulder.

"Doubar!" he shouted, "Maeve! Firouz! Where have you taken them!?"

Sinbad cursed as he heard no response. He looked down across the dungeon towards the large, heavy metal door. He remembered seeing it as he was dragged in here the day earlier. He remembered that just beyond that door held a room filled with hideous torture devices. Sinbad immediately jumped up and charged the cell door again.

~~~

Mustapha and Rongar had been walking through the forest all night without stopping except for a few small rests. Rongar wouldn't stop until Sashard was defeated, but he knew that Mustapha wasn't as strong as he was.

Mustapha struggled to keep up with Rongar, but he was just too tired and couldn't go on any longer. He fell to the ground and said to Rongar, "Go on Rongar, leave me here! You can come back for me later!"

But Rongar was too loyal, he wouldn't leave his friend alone and tired. He decided to go get some food before they set out again. It would be good for both of them to rest for a while.

"You could have gone on," Mustapha told his friend, "I just needed to rest for awhile. We both know this place, I could have just met you there!"

Rongar shrugged his shoulders. He knew that his friend didn't want to be alone, but wouldn't let anyone know that. Mustapha smiled weakly as Rongar sat down next to him on a huge log. "Rongar," he asked quietly, "do you remember Nolaa?"

Rongar looked down at his hands at the sound of his first and only love's name. He had known Nolaa when he was seven years old. After Sashard had moved to their land, he had lost contact with her, since her family had moved away.

"Rongar!" Nolaa called.

Rongar smiled as her heard her sweet, singsong voice calling his name. He looked down upon her from the tree he was hiding in.

"Rongar, I'm not going to wait all day for you!" she teased, "Mustapha?"

Mustapha couldn't help but chuckle. She was standing right underneath of Rongar, but didn't have the sense to look up. Rongar looked over and saw his friend crouching behind a bush. he put his finger over his mouth signaling him to be quiet, but Mustapha could barely hold back his giggles.

Nolaa heard the laughs and ran over to the bush, "I found you Mustapha!"

"But I'm not it until you tag me!" Mustapha got up and ran frantically trying to find another hiding spot. Nolaa was pretty fast, so she caught up to him and pushed him to the ground before he could speed up.

"You're it!"

Rongar slowly drifted back to reality. He remembered how much fun Nolaa, Mustapha, and him had used to have. Rongar could still see her in his mind. She was beautiful, even for a child. She had soft, creamy brown skin, snappy brown eyes, and a pile of soft, silky dark curls on her head. She usually wore them in two neat braids, but he loved it when she wore it down. Rongar hoped that she had survived Sashard's tyranny, that her family had escaped in time. He would love to see her again, to see if she still felt the same way about him as she used to.

"Ready to go?" Mustapha asked, bringing Rongar out of his thoughts.

Rongar nodded. Mustapha stood up and walked in step with his friend. It was incredibly hard to see their way, the darkness shrouding anything more than a few steps in front of the men.

"Arrrrrrrggg!" Mustapha yelled as he fell to the ground.

Rongar swung around and looked at the small man on the ground. He knelt down beside him.

"My foot..." Mustapha gasped.

Rongar looked at Mustapha's foot. It was caught in the jagged metal teeth of a trap of some sort. Rongar recognized it as a bear trap, his father used to hunt using this type of contraption. Mustapha's ankle was covered with blood, and the sharp ends of the trap dug deep into his flesh.

Rongar grabbed the two sides of the apparatus, and used all of his strength to try and pull it out of his friend's flesh. Mustapha winced. "It's no use..." he panted. "Just go on without me."

Rongar shook his head violently and put a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. Rongar was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't leave Mustapha like this, he would lose a lot of blood and probably die alone in this forest. But he also couldn't stop going. If he stopped, Sinbad and the crew would be killed. Rongar sat down and tried to make his decision.

~~~

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" a bloodcurdling scream rang out through the dark dungeon.

Sinbad winced. "Dear Allah let them be all right!" he prayed, a few tears trickling down his face.

He sat down in the corner of his cell, listening to the ongoing screams coming from the torture room. He didn't think that it was any of his crew, for he didn't think that any of them could ever reach such a high-pitched scream. But someone was being tortured, and it was absolutely terrifying for Sinbad having to listen to it.

In the other room, Doubar and Firouz looked away from the guards victim. He was being killed, burned alive by a scorching stick. He had incredibly deep char marks going down his withered chest, and blood and pus bubbled out freely from his wounds. Doubar couldn't even look at the guards, as they laughed with pleasure at this poor man's expense. He looked to Firouz, who had his eyes shut tightly. They were both chained to a far wall in the torture room.

Firouz wasn't sure if they were here to watch this prisoner die, or if they were next. He then focused his thoughts on Maeve. He turned to Doubar. "Where do you think they took Maeve?" he whispered, his voice wavering a little bit.

"I don't know. But I pray to Allah that Mustapha and Rongar get back soon." he whispered gruffly.

Firouz nodded in agreement. He remembered Mustapha's story of how he received his wound. It must have been a lot like this man's torture, and Firouz's heart went out to his friend. He never seemed to get along with Mustapha. He didn't know why, he just couldn't seem to find any common ground with him. It wasn't just over Rongar, it was over his place on the ship. Firouz's pride was at stake, and his place among his friends. He felt even more left out then before, with the short man back.

But all of that seemed trivial compared to what Doubar and Firouz were witnessing first hand in this dungeon. Firouz opened his eyes and glanced over at the prisoner. His face was twisted with tremendous pain, covered with blood, sweat, and tears. His chest looked like it had been torn apart, blood and huge gashes covered it all. The guard then picked up the flaming stick again and slammed it against the man's chest.

This time he was silent. He was near death, Firouz could feel it. The man turned his head towards him and looked at him with a look of pure remorse. He worked up his last bit of strength and spoke.

"Tell my wife I love her." he beseeched.

Firouz could barely hear him, but he made out the words. The man nodded slowly. Her name is Kayla. Please." he gasped, blood spewing from his mouth as he spoke these few last words.

Firouz nodded feverishly. "I will, I swear it." he promised.

"You won't live long enough to see the morning!" the outraged guard hollered.

He walked over to Firouz and clubbed him harshly in his face with the hilt of his sword. Firouz winced and then looked over to the man. He was dead.

~~~

"Tell me!" Sashard demanded.

Maeve didn't answer. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly. "Tell me, wench!"

Maeve was silent. He shoved her to the floor and stood in front of her menacingly. "You help me use that damn book or I'll kill your friends in the dungeon!" he spat.

She looked up at him, her eyes shooting flames. "I won't help you!" she shouted firmly.

He let out a howl of anger and grabbed her hair, pulling her to her feet. Sashard then looked her straight in the eyes. Maeve shifted nervously in his iron grasp, almost completely defenseless with her hands tied tightly behind her back.

"You will use this book for me. Now I know you wouldn't want to watch your beloved Captain Sinbad die before your eyes, do you?" he fumed.

Maeve kicked him brutally in his shin. He whacked her across her cheek and then threw her roughly to the floor again. Maeve caught her head on the edge of his marble dresser and landed on the floor in an ungraceful clump. He kicked her once for good measure and angrily left the unconscious sorceress on the floor of his bedroom.

~~~

Sinbad sat against the far wall of the cell, his chin resting on his knees. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what had happened, and ever since the screams stopped, he didn't know who was still alive. The same question kept running through his head, "What if that was Firouz or Doubar, and I wasn't there to save them?"

He had to find a way out of that cell, no matter what it took. He had to find out what had happened and face the fact that one of his crew might be near death, or even worse, they could be dead. He looked up as a guard came into the dungeon carrying a tray with something repulsive sitting on it.

"It's feeding time," the guard muttered as he opened the door and threw in the meal.

Sinbad scoffed. "Thanks for your hospitality." he muttered under his breath.

The guard didn't even hear him, and quickly left the dungeon. Sinbad leaned his head back against the wall and looked at his meal. There was some kind of red goo on the ground, since it had been chucked into the cell. The goo looked almost like... blood.

Sinbad smiled. "You know, that just might work..." he whispered to himself.

He crawled over to the puddle and picked up the tray. He threw it over to the darkest corner of the cell, so it was almost invisible. He stuck his hand in the substance and smeared it all over his white shirt. Sinbad smiled to himself and let out a blood curdling scream. Or at least the best impression of one that he could do.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" he faked.

He threw himself to the ground, making sure that the goo was clearly visible on his shirt. Sinbad shut his eyes tightly and waited. A guard, almost on cue, hurried into the cell. Seeing the captain on the ground bleeding, he unlocked the cell and examined the body. Sinbad jumped up and knocked him out before the guard even realized what had happened. He picked up the keys from the guard's hand.

"Thanks!" he said.

He was just about to leave, when he realized that he wasn't going to get very far on his own. He pulled off the guard's cape and hat and put them on himself quickly. Then he ran out of the cell and locked it behind him.

~~~

"Ian put up quite a fight, but we knew how to handle him," a guard proudly stated as Sinbad rounded the corned, dressed in the navy blue, floor length cape and helmet that he pulled down so that no one would recognize him.

"Now we have to do away with the others."

"You mean the sailors?" the other guard asked.

"Yeah, but Sashard said that we have to take care of the other business first."

"Aye..." the other guard paused as he saw Sinbad coming. "Hey!" he shouted.

Sinbad gasped, and turned, ready to run.

"Come and join us!" the guard offered. "You're new?"

Sinbad cleared his throat and nodded. He faked a gruff tone in his voice and answered. "Yes."

"Did you see the way that I slaughtered Ian?" he asked.

"Oh shut up, Jonah! You didn't do everything! I took the fire to his chest!" the other guard boasted.

"You're proud of killing a defenseless man?" Sinbad asked in shock.

"Well, he wasn't all defenseless..." Jonah said, "why, are you jealous?"

Sinbad shook his head. "No, I just believe in a fair fight!"

"Who said anything about being fair? This is Sashard's kingdom, and we play by his rules, which means, there are none!"

"Never mind," Sinbad said, "I'd better be getting back to my um, post."

"Oh well, it was nice meeting you," Jonah bluntly said.

As Sinbad walked away, the other guard said something that got him very worried, "Did you see that woman that Sashard took?"

"Maeve..." Sinbad whispered. He turned around to face them again. "What are you talking about?"

Jonah smiled to himself. "Oh, she's a great looking woman. She's got this flaming red hair, a great body, and nice round-"

"I get the picture..." Sinbad interrupted. "Where did he take her?"

"To his quarters I think. He wanted her to teach him some magic from that book. But I wonder what kind of magic their making by now?" the other guard laughed.

Sinbad swung around and ran down the hall.

"What's with him?" Jonah asked.

The other guard just shrugged his shoulders.

~~~

"Hey Rongar look!" Mustapha pointed down the hall, "Let's knock that guard out and take his clothes!"

Rongar and Mustapha quietly crept down the dark hall and sprang onto the guard, knocking him out as he fell down to the floor. Mustapha rolled him over to untie his cape in the front when he saw something that made him regret what he had just done.

"Rongar..." Mustapha started, "This is Sinbad!"

Rongar walked over and knelt down beside the downed guard.

"What have we done?!" Mustapha exclaimed. "And look what Sashard has done to his eye!"

Rongar rolled his eyes, since they both knew very well that Maeve had done that to him. Even in the most desperate of situations, Mustapha had to make a joke.

A dark figure crept out from the shadows behind Mustapha and Rongar. "I can help him."

Mustapha smiled. "Like the way you healed me?" he asked.

Vaughn nodded. He reached out his hand and placed it on Sinbad's forehead. A bright light shot up as the healing process began.

Rongar knew the his little brother was here to help, but he couldn't stop the jealousy from rising up inside of him. Vaughn had been kept in hiding in a monastery for more than twenty years now, and it was time for the prophecy to become a reality. All of his life, Rongar had been told never to talk about his brother, and that he would once rule the entire kingdom, and all of his life, he was kept in his shadow, even though he was older.

Sinbad blinked a few times and woke up. "What happened?"

"Um.... a guard sneaked up behind you and knocked you out! And- and when we turned the corner, um... we saw you lying on the ground!" Mustapha lied, "Good thing we had Vaughn with us to heal you!"

"You're right," Vaughn conceitedly said, "If I wasn't here, you would all be as good as dead."

"It was so fortunate, wasn't it Rongar?" Mustapha mimicked Vaughn.

"Are you mocking me?"

"What do you think?"

"I will not have this in my kingdom!" Vaughn declared, his anger peaking.

"It's not your kingdom yet!"

"Yet is the key word here!"

"Say something about my mother!" Mustapha taunted.

"She-" Vaughn was cut off by Sinbad.

Sinbad sensed a bit of tension between the two men, but he had to turn to the more important things, like Maeve, Doubar, and Firouz, "Let's not argue right now guys, Doubar, Firouz, and Maeve could be dead right now!"

And with that, Sinbad took off down the hall to where he had seen the guards take Firouz and Doubar.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" Firouz asked Doubar with worry in his voice.

"I'm not planning on sticking around long enough to find out!" Doubar declared.

"I hope that Rongar comes back soon..." Firouz whispered because a guard had just came into the dungeon.

"I hope that Mustapha comes back too!" Doubar added, his voice slightly rising.

"Yeah..." Firouz trailed off.

"Is this a private conversation, or can anybody join in?" Sinbad asked.

"Sinbad!" Firouz excitedly said, "How did you escape?"

"Let's just say that a guard is freezing in our cell right now," Sinbad joked.

"Where's Rongar?" Firouz asked with anticipation in his voice.

"He had to take care of some unfinished business," Sinbad said, "And we might be able to catch some of the action if we hurry!"

Sinbad flipped his sword and used it to cut the chains that bound Firouz and Doubar. They pulled the chains off of them and picked up some swords that were laying on a rotting table near the heavy wooden door.

"Are you all right?" Sinbad asked.

"Yes, but the man that was in here before isn't." Doubar said sadly. "You should have seen it, Sinbad, the way they tortured him. I've never seen anything like it. I'm not sure we're ready to fight this Sashard."

"What are you saying, Doubar?" Firouz asked.

"He seems really twisted. I think we should just leave now while we still have our lives!" Doubar explained.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to find Maeve!" Sinbad declared.

Doubar smiled. "Well since you put it that way, let's go!"

~~~

Rongar kicked open the huge wooden door that led to Sashard's chambers. He walked in carefully and scanned the surroundings. It was a rather large bedroom, with elaborate marble dressers and a huge fluffy bed. The room was tremendously dark, the only light coming from a dying fire near the back of the room.

"Is he in here?" Mustapha whispered to his friend.

Rongar shook his head. He then saw a figure on the floor move. He unsheathed his sword and approached the figure, Mustapha and Vaughn not far behind. Rongar knelt down beside the person, his sword ready to take revenge on the man that had caused him so much pain as a child.

"Rongar?" the figure moaned.

"Maeve!" Mustapha realized.

Rongar dropped his sword next to him and pulled Maeve into a sitting position.

"Are you okay!?" Mustapha asked.

Maeve nodded. "I think so..."

Rongar picked up one of his dirks and used it to cut the rope that bound her wrists. She rubbed them gently, for the ropes had worn the skin raw. She then felt the huge knot on the back of her head. "Sashard certainly isn't what I expected." she moaned.

"What did you expect?" Mustapha asked.

"We don't have time for this." Vaughn interrupted. "Let's just get this over with, Rongar. You didn't bring me here just to save your friends did you? I do get to take back what is rightfully ours, don't I?"

Rongar nodded slowly. He didn't understand where Vaughn was coming from. He had been kept in hiding for years for this day. He was to be the end of Sashard's reign. The end of the prophecy. The beginning of the new kingdom. But instead, he was this selfish little brat, and Rongar was beginning to have his doubts about this plan of his.

"Sinbad!" Maeve exclaimed, "Where have you been?"

Sinbad smiled knowing that he had heard that line before. "Where's Sashard?"

Firouz and Doubar finally caught up to Sinbad and came running into the room. Firouz smiled when he saw Rongar, but then his face fell, for standing next to him was none other than Mustapha. He didn't think that it would be any different if they were Siamese twins, for they were always together!

Sinbad knelt down beside Maeve and took her in his arms. "Where's Sashard, did he hurt you?"

Maeve smiled warmly and shook her head. "I'm all right. I don't know where he made off to though, it must have been awhile, but I don't know how long I've been out."

Sinbad nodded. "He'll probably be back soon. Can you stand?"

Maeve rolled her eyes and got up. She then walked over to Sashard's dresser and picked up the Book of Darkness and Light.

"Now it's finally out of Sashard's reach," she said with a sigh of relief.

"Guess again wench!" Sashard's booming voice yelled as he appeared in the room.

"Sashard!" Vaughn screamed, "Your tyranny will be put to an end tonight!"

Sashard picked up an old book off of the shelf behind him and chucked it at Vaughn, knocking him out.

"He was kept in a monastery his whole life for that?" Mustapha muttered in shock.

"Why was he kept in a monastery?" Sinbad asked.

"So that he wouldn't be killed!"

"Oh." Sinbad said.

"Guards!" Sashard yelled.

About half a dozen guards ran in to the room, two of whom Sinbad had spoken with earlier. They all unsheathed their swords and attacked the crew. It was pretty hard to see everyone, due to the minuscule amount of light in the room. Jonah raised his sword to attack Sinbad, but it was deflected by the saber that Sinbad had grabbed from the torture room.

"Kill them all!" Sashard ordered as he grabbed a sword from off his wall.

He lunged at Rongar. "I'll finish the job now!" he threatened as they fought.

Firouz suddenly remembered an exploding stick that he had hidden in his belt. He pulled it out and hurried over to the fireplace. "Crew, watch out!" he yelled as the wick ignited. He watched as the crew scattered away from the middle of the room before chucking it into the patch of guards. The guards went flying in all directions as the impact struck.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" Sashard demanded as he watched his guards get thrown.

"Not magic, just simple science!" Firouz corrected quickly as Sashard lunged at him.

Firouz dodged the attack and ran to the other side of the room. He turned back to see where Sashard was and ran straight into Maeve. The Book of Darkness and Light went flying across the room and landed at Sashard's feet. He bent down to pick it up and gasped at the page it was on. It wasn't what spell was on it, but that he saw the word 'prophecy'.

"The prophecy." he whispered in shock.

He had forgotten all of these years why he had pursued Rongar's family. It was because of the prophecy. He looked over at the man he had knocked out cold. The Moor and his friend must have gone to get him, for he had the secret to his undoing. He picked up his sword again and approached the man on the floor. Sashard held it high above his head as he stood over Rongar's younger brother.

"Vaughn!" Mustapha yelled.

Rongar pulled out a dirk and threw it at Sashard. It plunged deep into his chest. He collapsed to the floor. The guards remaining in the room all fled, for fear of their own lives. Rongar ran over to Sashard and stood over him. Mustapha stood next to him. Sashard opened his mouth to talk and blood trickled out the side of it. "Wha.. what was the prophecy?" he gasped, desperate to know where he went wrong.

"It was Rongar's brother, Vaughn." Mustapha answered. "he was kept in hiding so you wouldn't know of him. We knew that if we brought him here he could be the key to destroying your hold over the kingdom."

Sashard coughed weakly. "But he didn't do... any... anything."

Mustapha looked at Sinbad. "Maybe is was just the act of bringing him here." Sinbad answered. "He can rightfully assume the throne after you're gone."

Sashard shook his head violently. "You... you will never have my... my kingdom!"

"But it was never yours to take!" Mustapha shouted. "You killed so many of my friends, my family, and you even took away our childhood! I hate you!"

Sashard slightly cackled, for the word "hate" no longer had any meaning to him. He had tortured and killed so many that he rarely felt any emotions at all. Maybe that was the key to his undoing. Sinbad, Maeve, Firouz, and Doubar crowded around Vaughn to see if he was all right, and while no one except Rongar was looking, Sashard passed on. His last words were to Rongar, who watched him until he was gone.

"You..... were a worthy opponent," he said, pain filling his voice, "and..... you should... take over the.... throne."

Rongar was in shock of these words, for never, in a million years did he expect to hear anything so gratifying come out of his mouth. Even though he knew that it would never happen, he thought to himself that Sashard was right, and he really should be the king, but he would never admit that he was actually agreeing with his archenemy, no one would even know what Sashard had said, for he was the only one to hear those words.

Vaughn finally regained consciousness. "Now it's finally time to regain power of my kingdom!" Vaughn declared.

"Wait a minute here Vaughn," Mustapha said, "First of all, you never ruled this kingdom, and second of all, Rongar should really be the king!"

"But the prophecy stated that I was to be the ruler of all of Gaul!"

"Normally I wouldn't go against that, but Rongar killed Sashard!" Mustapha yelled.

"But the prophecy-"

"The prophecy, that's all I hear about. Don't you have any others reasons?"

Vaughn was silent while he tried to think of something, but the only reason that he was to be king was the prophecy.

"All right!" Sinbad yelled, "We have to get a move on!"

"Yes." Vaughn said arrogantly. "It is now time to announce the good news to my people."

~~~

"It was a beautiful ceremony." Maeve said as she sat down at a table in the ballroom. "All the people are so happy."

Sinbad nodded as he sat down beside her. "I'm not so sure he'll make the best king, but he'll be much better than Sashard."

Doubar rolled his eyes. "Well anyone would be better than that tyrant!" he declared with a smile.

Sinbad looked around the ballroom. It was packed with many of the kingdom's people, all celebrating the newfound liberation of their kingdom. It was a gorgeous room. The floors were shining from a recent cleaning, golden chandeliers sparkled above their heads, and everyone had a smile on their face. This part of the palace obviously wasn't used much by Sashard and his men.

Doubar frowned. "There's still one thing I don't understand."

"What is it?" Sinbad asked.

"Well," Doubar said, "Is Rongar royalty? I mean, why is Vaughn suddenly the king? I thought Rongar's was just a noble family."

"It was the prophecy." Maeve explained. "It knew that one day Rongar and Mustapha would come back and defeat him."

"But what was the 'family secret'?" Doubar asked.

"It was Vaughn. Nobody knew that he was in hiding, or even that he existed. It was the fear of the secret that kept Sashard in fear of Rongar's family, so that's why he captured him and Mustapha. The prophecy knew that one day Vaughn would come and assume the throne, but if he wasn't kept in hiding, he would have been killed by Sashard too." She explained.

"Well, I still don't understand." Doubar said. "But as long as we're all safe and the kingdom is better, I guess it doesn't matter."

Sinbad smiled. "Going to dance, Big Brother?"

Doubar shook his head. "Nope, I'm going to eat this feast before it gets cold!" he said as he motioned to the plate in front of him.

Sinbad grinned again. "Well, would you like to dance, Maeve?"

She nodded and took his outstretched hand. He led her to the dance floor. "Mustapha and Rongar certainly are popular tonight, aren't they?" she asked as she motioned towards the two men. They were both surrounded by beautiful women.

"Yes, they saved the entire kingdom." he said.

"Oh, Sinbad, I'm sorry again about your black eye." Maeve apologized.

Sinbad felt his puffy eye. "It's all right. he said with a smile.

"Where's Firouz?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know, he's around here somewhere." Sinbad said.

"Ladies, ladies," Mustapha said to the crowd of women around him, "There's enough of me to go around!"

As Mustapha was saying this, Vaughn appeared on the balcony to announce his new bride. "People, my people, I have chosen a bride!," he announced, "She is the most fair and beautiful of all of my kingdom!"

Maeve rolled her eyes and said, "She mustn't be modest." Sinbad smiled at her.

"May I present to you, Queen Nolaa!"

Rongar's heart split in two when he heard that name, but he tried to reassure himself that it wasn't the same Nolaa that he had known in his childhood, it just couldn't be... A beautiful woman stepped out from behind Vaughn. She had soft, creamy brown skin, snappy brown eyes, and a pile of soft, silky dark curls on her head. It was her.

Mustapha recognized her in an instant, "That's Nolaa!" he said to Rongar, "What a little brat! That's two things he's taken away from you!"

Rongar couldn't bear to look at her any longer, he turned away and headed for the nearest exit, but was stopped by Vaughn who had come down from the balcony with Nolaa.

"Nolaa, my adoring wife, I would like you to meet my brother Rongar," he said.

"Rongar?" she asked as she stared at him closely, "Is it really you?"

"You know each other?" Vaughn asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"I thought you were dead!" she said as she flung herself onto him and gave him a great big bear hug.

Vaughn looked like smoke would start streaming out from his ears at any moment, "Well that was a nice little reunion... let's go rule our kingdom now!"

Nolaa saw the awful look on Rongar's face as she walked away and said, "I'll never forget you my friend!"

If Rongar could only have one wish in the world, it would be to be able to say, "I'll never forget you either, my only love," at that very moment. He felt like Vaughn had just ripped out his heart and stepped on it, for he felt that he would never need it again.

~~~

Sinbad spotted Rongar sitting alone on the dock for the Nomad. The dark sky all around the lonely Moor made him look even more alone, for there wasn't even a star for him to look upon. Sinbad sat down next to his friend and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" Sinbad asked quietly.

Rongar nodded slowly.

"It's good to be out of that dungeon and in the nice fresh evening air, don't you agree?" he asked.

Rongar nodded again and looked down at the calm waves gently lapping against the shore behind him. The wooden dock made a soft creaking noise as the waves drifted underneath of it. Sinbad squeezed his shoulder.

"Vaughn will make the kingdom whole again. All of the people will be happy again, and Gaul will return to the beautiful state I'm sure it once was." Sinbad said quietly.

Rongar shrugged.

"I know that you aren't happy with the way your brother turned out, but you could have been the king if you had wanted to." Sinbad reminded.

Rongar shook his head. He didn't want to be the king. He was happy where he was, on the ship with all of his friends, fighting for good, defending the defenseless. Rongar loved what he did and he was enormously proud of all the good he had done. But it didn't seem fair. He was the one who had had his tongue cut out. He was the one that had watched his mother cry when he got the news that one of his brothers had died. He was the one who had brought Vaughn here. And now it was Vaughn who was receiving all the credit. It was Vaughn that had married his one true love, Nolaa. It didn't seem fair at all.

"Do you want to come back to the celebration now?" Sinbad asked gently.

Rongar shook his head.

"We're leaving in the morning." Sinbad said. "And I've heard that a long sea voyage will cure all your ails."

Rongar nodded his head again and smiled. Sinbad was such a good friend. He knew that he could always count on him, no matter what. Vaughn could have the kingdom, he could have Nolaa, and he could have all the servants and all the money he could ever want. But he would never have what Rongar had, true friends. Sinbad, Mustapha, Firouz, Maeve, and Doubar were all so good to him. They treated him like their equal even if he couldn't speak back to them. They didn't patronize him, or leave him on the ship while they went on adventures. Rongar smiled as he realized how lucky he was, and he gave Sinbad a quick, meaningful hug. Sinbad smiled as he realized that Rongar would be all right.

~~~

Sinbad awoke the next morning to a beautiful sunrise. The warm rays shone in through his window on the Nomad, and were very much appreciated by the young captain. A fresh sea breeze filled his lungs and he took a deep breath, savoring every moment of this morning. He was looking foward to this voyage, it was going to be a nice healing trip for the crew, and he always enjoyed travelling to his hometown, Baghdad.

He stood up and stretched his tired muscles, ready to start his day. He put on his shirt and tucked it in, securing it in place with his red sash. As he reached for his headband, he noticed a piece of parchment on top of his table. Sinbad picked it up and began to read Rongar's beautifully scripted handwriting.

 _Sinbad,_  
Thanks for being there for me last night. The main reason that I was upset was because I was jealous of Vaughn. Not only that, but his new wife is Nolaa, my first and only true love. She left town when Sashard assumed power. I guess that her and I weren't meant to be, but it still hurts. I want to thank you for helping us defeat Sashard. It is like the ghosts from my past have finally disappeared and I can now move on with my life. Thank you. It is an honor sailing with you, my friend.  
~Rongar

Sinbad folded up the note and set it back down on his table. He then walked updeck and saw Maeve sitting on the railing with Dermott. Her fiery hair was flowing along with the breeze, but she didn't seem to mind. He walked over and sat down beside her.

"Rongar seems happier today." she observed. "I'm glad that the enemy in his past has been quelled."

Sinbad put a hand on her shoulder, knowing very well who she was talking of. She put her hand on top of his and looked into his sea blue eyes. "Sinbad?" she asked.

"Yes?" he said as he stroked Dermott's soft feathers.

"Nothing." she decided. "So, where to next, Captain?"

Sinbad smiled and took a deep breath of the fresh sea air. "Wherever the wind takes us." he said with a big smile.

Maeve grinned back. "Sounds like a good place to go."

Sinbad put his arm around Maeve's shoulders and together they watched the gentle waves lap against the hull of the ship. The sun shone down brightly on the ship, giving everything a soft glow. Sinbad smiled to himself. It was going to be a good voyage.

* * *

_Fin_


End file.
